Also, interesting to note that there's more declared for the draft than will be picked. A whole lot more. Many of these kids will pull back either in late May or early June. I'm not sure if a Junior is considered an "upperclassman" for draft purposes.

Years ago, when the NBA first allowed non-Seniors to enter the draft, they could go through the whole process, including draft day, and opt out and go back to school if they didn't like where they were picked, or if they were not picked so long as they didn't hire an agent. That has clearly changed, and it may have been as early as the second or third year of allowing underclassmen to declare. But I know of a few players from the old Big East that did exactly that, and a few others that couldn't return because they had discussions with or signed with an agent.

My guess is that Ray has little or zero intention of going through the process and will opt out in late May.

" For every alum, no matter where they are...I want a football coach that's going to make Saturday something you anticipate and look forward to." --Troy Dannen

Thank you all for your support as my son Zach continues to beat leukemia

FWIW, ESPN in their May 23 rankings has Frazier ranked as the 25th pick in the First Round. Hope he makes it into the First with a team that will give him some playing opportunities. Too bad he did not stick and get his degree too, though.

Why? So he can risk getting injured and not make that 1st round money? Get drafted in the 1st round and the salary and signing bonus after taxes will put him easily 20+ years ahead than an average Joe with an average salary coming out of college. He's a basketball player first, student second.

Why? So he can risk getting injured and not make that 1st round money? Get drafted in the 1st round and the salary and signing bonus after taxes will put him easily 20+ years ahead than an average Joe with an average salary coming out of college. He's a basketball player first, student second.

Yeah, and he can come back and get his degree any time, particularly with the money he will have. I’m very opposed to some of the schemes floating around out there to pay young basketball or football players as an alternative to college (e.g., minor leagues) because you just don’t know what your pro potential is at 17/18 unless you are a truly elite player (top 5 in the country). But it absolutely makes sense to leave college early if you are on the cusp of being an NBA draft pick. With that money, you can always come back.

There's at least 60 players that are somewhere "projected first round draft picks." We'll see how it plays out. Hopefully he not only gets drafted in the first round, but invests his money wisely, setting himself up for life. A significant number of former athletes are broke a couple of years after their careers end, despite making huge amounts of money. Let's hope Melvin makes good financial decisions.

" For every alum, no matter where they are...I want a football coach that's going to make Saturday something you anticipate and look forward to." --Troy Dannen

Thank you all for your support as my son Zach continues to beat leukemia

All four of the polls cited in that article contradict the thread title but I'm crossing my fingers that they're wrong.

Welcome to gotula.net, where it's never too late to mention Tanner Lee, Andy Cannizaro, Lindsey Scott Jr., Rich Rodriguez, David Pierce, or, of course, Scott Cowen. You see, no horse here is so dead that it cannot be beaten just a little bit more.

Very happy he's having a great Combine and hope this leads to him getting chosen in the first round. The highlights, against pretty damned good competition, were awesome. I'm also glad to see he cut his hair. The dreadlocks pushed into Mickey Mouse ears whenever he played in Orlando were silly.

" For every alum, no matter where they are...I want a football coach that's going to make Saturday something you anticipate and look forward to." --Troy Dannen

Thank you all for your support as my son Zach continues to beat leukemia

He's a perfect fit for teams drafting late in the 1st who just want a guy to play 15-20 minutes, be a versatile defender and hit the occasional 3.
Love to see him in Celtics uniform, Stevens would get the best out of his defensive abilities.

Last edited by mbawavefan12 on Fri May 18, 2018 10:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

I also saw those highlights. I thought I was watching LeBron playing in an NBA All Star game. He defended, he hit 3’s, had a windmill highlight dunk and an Anthony Davis like alley-opp slam way above the rim.

He's a perfect fit for teams drafting late in the 1st who just want a guy to play 15-20 minutes, be a versatile defender and hit the occasional 3.
Love to see him in Celtics uniform, Stevens would get the best out of his defensive abilities.

I totally agree, the Celtics would be a perfect landing spot for Melvin. Stevens is a hell of a coach, and he'd thrive.

" For every alum, no matter where they are...I want a football coach that's going to make Saturday something you anticipate and look forward to." --Troy Dannen

Thank you all for your support as my son Zach continues to beat leukemia